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Winning the Close Games
Fouling & Clock ManagementProper fouling techniques must be taught and practiced. You just can't tell players to go foul. Do not assume that players know how and who to foul at the end of the game. If you just tell a player to go foul, they are most likely to grab or hammer an opponent, and pick up an intentional foul.
Knowing When to Foul
In order to keep your opponents out of the bonus situation as long as possible, try not to commit fouls early in the period.
Play smart and foul for profit by:
Note: All too often games are lost on last second shots because a team was either
unaware that they had a foul(s) to give or they where unprepared to foul correctly. A few years ago,
the University of Washington men's team was beaten by Stanford on a last second shot despite the fact that they had
two fouls to give and Stanford had to go the length of the court with four seconds remaining on the clock. Go for the quick steal or trap and avoid the intentional foul. Most coaches assume players know how to foul. However,
in reality, when a coach tell the players to foul, they will simply go out and just push or grab an opponent resulting in an intentional
foul. Since the opponent gets to shoot free throws and retains ball possession, this is disastrous.
Proper fouling techniques must be taught and practiced. When taking a deliberate foul, first deny the passing lane
and go for the ball. A steal is much better than a foul. If unsuccessful, players should foul by trying to knock the ball
out of their opponent's hands. Every once and a while they just might knock the ball loose. Also,
officials will, occasionally, be out of position and not call the foul (Foul #1. Bad Call).
No hard fouls. There is no room in the game of basketball for hard fouls (even in the NBA) especially on lay ups
when shooters are most vulnerable to injury. Play hard but play fair. Basketball carries more than enough injury risk
without a player intentionally or unintentionally injuring another player when fouling. In addition, there is never
any satisfaction or sense of accomplishment in winning when the victory is achieved by injuring an opponent or breaking
the rules of the game.
Note: Players should realize that when their opponent plays hard and makes them work during the game, that they
should not ever get mad or angry at them. Instead, they should be sure to shake their opponent's hand after the game for
help making them a better player.
When on defense, players should avoid going behind the basket. Nothing good ever happens to a defensive player behind the basket.
When taking a charge players should make every attempt to take it outside the three second area before the opponent can
get the shot off.
Eliminate the three point play. Giving up a three point play by fouling a player in the act of shooting
is a RBP (Really Big Play). Instead of fouling a shooter and giving up a three point play, it is better to just concede the
shot and let them score. All you have to do is to score on the next possession to "erase" or cancel it. However, if
you foul the shooter and give up a three point play, you will then have to not only score on your next possession, but
also come up with a defensive stop and score a second time to erase or cancel it.
Note: Really Big Plays are plays that can turn the game around. Other RBP's are taking a charge,
a "wolf" (stealing the ball from behind on a break away), and an offensive rebound on a missed free throw.
Players should be well aware of which players to foul and which players not to foul. When "Hack a Shaq"
strategy is needed, do not go by free throw percentages alone. It is important to know which players play well under
pressure. A mediocre free throw shooter can become a great free throw shooter when the game is on the line, and,
conversely, a great percentage free throw shooter can struggle during crunch time.
Always avoid fouling the opponent's "Star" player. When faced with a task of guarding the opponent's
leading scorer the worst thing the defender can do is to foul them and send them to the free throw line. Make them earn
every point they get. Also, never foul a player who is struggling from the field and is having a bad shooting night.
Going to the line and making a couple of free throws will certainly take the lid off the basket for any player.
Hopefully, you are well prepared and in control of the game so that you will not need to resort to clock management.
However, if you ever fall behind late in the game don't give up! In the NBA, it is common place to see players and teams
give up and throw in the towel when trailing by more than ten points with less than three minutes to play. This may
be a result of their demanding 82 game schedule, and don't follow their example. By using time outs and fouls, the
last few minutes of a game can be an eternity. Here is an example of a game that was won in regulation time despite falling
behind 90-75 (15 points) with 1:37 to play:
The NBA, is also notorious for letting valuable time run off the clock before fouling. If you are going to foul,
foul right away. Do not let any time run off the clock. At this point in the game, the clock is your worst enemy, not the
opponents, so every second counts.
When fouling to the stop the clock at the end of the game, coaches should make defensive substitutions whenever possible
and put players into the game that can afford to foul instead of losing their best players because of disqualification.
Once a foul has been committed, stopping the clock, players in foul trouble can be reinserted back into the game.
For example, by not substituting for players in foul trouble at the end of the game may have cost Kansas an opportunity
for the NCAA championship this year. After a time out, Indiana inbounded the ball in the back court, two Kansas players immediately
trapped the player with ball in the corner (primary trap zone). But since both players had four fouls neither one fouled. A foul was
finally committed after the ball was passed out of the trap and dribbled. By allowing precious time to run off the clock,
Kansas' hopes for a comeback ran out of time.
Rebound. Be sure to box out on all free throw attempts. There is nothing worse than giving up an
offensive rebound (RBP) at this stage of the game. Also, remember that most games that are won on the final shot are
won on putbacks not the shot.
When behind late in game: The clock is the enemy, not the opponents. Seconds are precious.
Every effort should be made to prevent time from running off the clock. By proper use of time outs and fouls the last few minutes of a game can
be an eternity so don't ever give up.
When ahead late in the game: The clock is your ally.
Do not stop it (unless in very serious trouble).
Be sure that players know how many timeouts are remaining and if they have a
foul(s) to give. Being aware of the timeout and team foul situations can make the
difference in winning or losing.
Intentionally missing a free throw.
Chances are good during the season that an end of game
situation will be encountered that requires the intentionally missing of a free throw; therefore, teams must be prepared for it. Intentional missing a free throw must be taught and
practiced. Players must recognize and know their assignments are on "intentionally" missed free throw situation.
Shooters must not only practice the intentional miss, they also need to be aware of the rule that the
ball must hit the rim.
Learn More: Really Big Plays (RBP's) © 2002 Ernie Woods, HoopTactics
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